Running Head: FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE Florida Health law issue Name: Institutional Affiliation: Date: 1 FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 2 Table of Contents Florida Health law issue ................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Literature review........................................................................................................................................... 3 Issue overview............................................................................................................................................... 4 Policy history ............................................................................................................................................... 11 Beneficiaries or outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 12 Financial impacts......................................................................................................................................... 13 Support systems.......................................................................................................................................... 14 Statistics ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Nurse practitioner role ............................................................................................................................... 15 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 16 References .................................................................................................................................................. 17 3 FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE Florida Health law issue Introduction In Florida, there exist multiple laws and policies that operate within the healthcare sector. The healthcare sector in the state acts as one of the most critical aspects of the economy of not only the region but also the overall country as a whole. In this case, this paper looks at the elements of a policy that revolves around the governance and control for drug abuse and overdose in Florida with the aim of creating a conducive working environment for the general population as well as the healthcare practitioners. The act describes the basics of a drug overdose as well as substance abuse which stands out as the ultimate problems that affect the entire population (NCSL, n.d.). The primary aim of the enactment of the bill by the legislature of the state comes from the desire to provide a policy and a set of laws that try to offer a productive operating environment that in turn will guarantee better health for the affected populations. Based on the given information, it then follows that discussing the details or the significance of the adoption and enactment of the policy would provide the stakeholder the ultimate information that would enable them to make informed decisions about the laws and the significance to the general population as a whole. Therefore, this paper looks at various aspects that tend to explain the basics of the policy. Some of the issues to discuss the strategy include its history defining the past efforts put in place, the outcomes or the overall beneficiaries, the resulting financial effects, the systems that support the bill, the existing statistics and the role of the nurse practitioners. Literature review In the attempt to come up with a set of valid findings which will foster the attainment of the most effective and reliable conclusions, it is essential to explore the past sources which would offer a good platform for supporting the presented topic and issue. Conducting a literature FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 4 review plays a massive role in that it allows scholars and researchers to gather relevant information that revolves around the underlying topic. From another perspective, it is important to note that addressing the issue using the past scholarly articles and the current trends in the market and sector may create a good platform for the paper to present a set of valid and evidence-based conclusions. The primary aim of conducting the literature review, in this case, revolves around the desire to gather information that relates to the topic in the context which would in turn help to satisfy the ultimate goals and needs of the paper. In this case, the paper seeks to gather as much information about the policy in the context. From another perspective, addressing the policy using the present articles that offer information about the trending news revolving around the bill. And the past experiences would play a critical role in creating the ultimate foundation that will help the researcher to understand the impacts or the significance of the laws contained to the general population and the entire healthcare sector as a whole. Therefore, the following section presents a variety of articles that speak about the underlying issues as mentioned in the previous section with the aim of offering extensive knowledge that revolves around the enactment and implementation of the policy concerning Florida and the affected parties. Issue overview This section highlights the basics of the HB 249 Drug Overdoses bill and policy that may act as one of the most important solutions that Florida may implement based on the desire to monitor and control the issues pertaining to a drug overdose as well as substance abuse. The primary aim of the enactment of the policy or the introduction of the bill revolves around the desire to come up with a set of laws that permit the various bodies to report the cases of controlled overdoses to the respective parties. Also, to offer immunity to the people who in the FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 5 end offer information based on good faith and but not limited to the desire to guide the various healthcare centers. Besides, organizations such as hospitals that operate with emergency departments on the development of practices that in turn would offer support to the prevention of drug overdoses especially, in the case of unintentional use. Various parties such as the Florida Pharmacy Association among other lobby groups came together with the aim of providing the required level of support to the mentioned legislation which would, in the end, would play a huge role in the provision of a conducive environment for eliminating and dealing with the rampant issues of drug overdoses. Based on the given foundation, one can conclude that the primary aim of the provision, enactment or implementation of the policy will play a critical role in informing the relevant players in the field of healthcare on the issues affecting the general population concerning the increased cases of drug overdoses. While addressing the issue of drug overdoses which forms the primary foundation and purpose of the creation and enactment of the policy mentioned above, numerous scholars in the recent past conducted studies that meant to outline the current state of health concerning accidental drug overdose cases in Florida. On the other hand, addressing the issue of drug overdoses in the state from a grassroots level will play a critical role in informing the relevant stakeholders on the best practices. Subsequently, to take when it comes to providing a longlasting; solution for fighting and assisting the affected parties., numerous reports claim that Florida stands among the states that recorded high rates of drug overdoses. In this case, the term overdose may refer to the various resulting conditions that may bring about physical but not limited to emotional illnesses to the affected parties. FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 6 In this case, various stakeholders may need to take part in the entire practice which would help to create a conducive environment for understanding the best practices to implement with the aim of reducing the overall level of suffering to the affected populations. Drug overdose and abuse in Florida remains as one of the primary issues of concern that affect the most substantial part of the population. Various stakeholders in the legal and healthcare sector among other parties such as the lobby groups seek to gather information that may create a conducive environment for understanding the ultimate practices that may be implemented with the aim of dealing with the rampant issues of drug overdoses in Florida. The following section highlights some of the relevant pieces of work conducted by numerous researchers revolving around the issues of the policy and the underlying concepts such as drug overdose cases in Florida. As mentioned above, the primary aim of the enactment of the policy revolves around the desire to come up with a set of laws that will facilitate the reporting of drug overdose cases in the affected region while at the same time implementing the best practices to protect the population against such vices. On the other hand, the enactment of the policy basis its arguments from the basics of the prevalence of drug overdoses not only in Florida but also across the entire country. Research conducted by Darke & Hall, (2003) sought to gather information about the prevalence of heroin overdose in the country. in the research, and the authors focused on issues such as the primary reasons that may bring about the witnessed rates of increased prevalence of overdose of heroin amongst the populations. In the research, the authors highlighted that heroin overdose accounted for the most significant part of the witnessed premature deaths in the country. On the other hand, the authors described some of the population and demographical data as well as factors that may help to determine the level of prevalence of the issue within the country. Through the exploration of the p[ast research as well as evidence, the authors managed to gather FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 7 information that related to the prevalence of the issue highlighting some of the most common factors that result or accelerated the problem. Other issues that the study focused on, in this case, revolves around aspects such as the purity, polydrug use, and drug tolerance while at the same time looking at the cases of suicide and routes of administration. Addressing these aspects played a huge role in giving the researchers a good platform for understanding the effects of the mentioned factors on the witnessed mortality rates amongst the selected populations. Basing the arguments on the mentioned background, the legislation in Florida sought to create a solution that in the end would offer the required strategy that would not only help in the reporting of such cases but also in the reduction of the mentioned issues from the general population. From another perspective, the authors explored the potential impacts that the rising cases of overd0pze in the country bring to the various stakeholders and agencies. For instance, the authors confirm that the increased rates of overdose in the country affect not only the government but also the community as well as the healthcare sector at large. In addition, the primary causes of the increased cases of overdose may come from the reduced level of concern and mechanisms to gather such information from the general public. This statement implies that the lack of a reliable policy that would empower the affected parties to report cases of unintentional overdose and hence abuse remains one of the major causes of the witnessed cases as mentioned. It then follows that based on such finding, creating a policy would play a huge role in that it would help to empower the healthcare organizations into reporting and to deal with the rising cases of overdose especially, in Florida concerning the issues of heroin and opioids among others. It is important to note that the authors, in this case, provided an opportunity for the paper to explore the foundation for the creation of the policy. In simple terms, FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 8 the details given by the authors form the basis for explaining the motivation behind the development of the policy mentioned in the previous section. Kennedy-Hendricks, et al., (2016) conducted a study meant to gather information about the overall impacts that opioid overdose concerning the crackdown carried out by the various legal agencies in Florida on the issue of pill mills. In the paper, their author carried out a research that meant to compare the data gathered about the p0resncription of opioids among other drugs in the various states such as Florida and North Carolina with the aim of coming up with a high level comparison of the perceived and probable changes in the mortality rates from the general populace;lotion. After gathering the information, the research found out that the increased legal actions carried out by the state and federal agencies in Florida contributed a positive impact to the witnessed changes in the death rates. For instance, the death rates of the affected populations in both Florida and North Carolina reduced significantly with an increase in legal actions taken by the associated agencies. In this case,m one can conclude that the increased legal action in the state made a significant improvement in the reduction of the overall deaths as a result of an overdose. For instance, the study found out that the increased legal action resulted into a decline of a total of 1029 lives that were saved from the impacts of the prescription overdose of the various compounds and drugs such as opioids among others. After considering the given information and findings, it then follows that an increase in the overall level of interaction and action between the various law enforcement agencies and the underlying healthcare organization may play a considerable role in the overall reduction of the total deaths that may arise as a result of a prescription overdose. It is important to note that the paper initially mentioned the issue of overdose remaining to be among the major problems that affect Florida today. The witnessed FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 9 problem of increased cases of overdose came from a rise in the prescription of drugs for cash other than for the primary purpose of treating the affected parties. In Florida, the issue of pill mill gave rise to the witnessed problems associated with increased mortality as a result of a clinical drugs overdose. The authors, in this case, explore the effects that the increased legal activities may bring to the death rates in Florida based on the issue of combating the pill mill. Another study completed by Rutkow et al., (2015) try to gather and document information revolving around the effectiveness of the various laws that are meant to reduce the cases of overdose coming from clinical and medical prescriptions amongst the populations in Florida. The authors first highlight the fact that Florida suffers and exhibits a high level of overdose concerning the various drugs [rescribed to the patients and the population. Further, the study continues to claim that the government in the state and the entire country implemented many laws meant to curb the issue from the population. However, the authors claim that despite the efforts put in place by the government, there is little to no success witnessed in the state concerning the reduction of the overall death rates from the general population. The authors continue to say that the increased cases of overdose from the general population come primarily from the lack of support from the relevant authorities that may help to control the level of prescription and effectiveness of the implemented laws. The paper, therefore, claims that the enactment of the mentioned policy as highlighted in the first part of the paper comes and basis its arguments from the fact that the previously implemented laws. As well as practices such as the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, otherwise referred to as PDMP failed to bring the desired outcomes concerning significantly reducing the overall cases of drug overdose. On the other hand, the mentioned program played a huge role in that it formed the foundation for understanding the potential impacts that the federal FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 10 and state government`s involvement in matters pertaining to the health of the general population may bring on the reduction of a drug overdose. In this case, the plan helped to reduce the witnessed cases of prescription drug overdose amongst the population but with a small margin. It then follows that the current legislation seeks to create a policy that contains a set of laws that in the end will help in reinforcing the previously enacted legislation on the issue of a prescription drug overdose. Following the information given above, another study completed by a group of authors who include Surratt et al., (2014) looked into the issue of the potential decline in the overall mortality rates as a result of the intervention using the legal actions in Florida. In the study, the authors focused on the description of the possible effects that the legal and legislative interventions may bring to the state concerning the reduction of the overall prescription drugs overdose amongst the populations. The paper highlights the legislative actions that the state took since 2010 which sought to gather information about the prevalence of prescription-related drug overdose in the region. This paper highlights the basics and effectiveness of the two plans the government implemented with the aim of preventing or controlling the overall level of drug overdose from the general public based on the legal interventions put in place. Based on the given data, the authors concluded that the implementation of the legal and regulatory interventions in the state helped to reduce the overall diversion rate of the prescription drug overdose. The study reported that an increase in the intensity of the various legal aspects played a considerable role in the reduction of the overall level of prescription drug overdose amongst the populations. In this case, one can then conclude that an increase in the implementation of legal actions against the issue may bring about a positive outcome from the reduction in the overall overdose cases from the general population. FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 11 Finally, a study conducted and completed by Paulozzi, Strickler, Kreiner & Koris, (2015) sought to gather data about the controlled substance prescribing patterns while at the same time comparing such information with the effectiveness of the prescription behavior surveillance system based on findings collected from 8 states. The study focused on the determination and examination of the possible effects of the various prescription behavior monitoring systems that the state implemented since 2010. The study concludes that the implementation of the various strategies and monitoring systems played a huge role in the overall reduction of the rate of prescription overdose that may arise in the state. The study compared the results and data obtained from 8 states concerning the overall rate of death that occurs from a prescription overdose. Policy history Florida in the past before the enactment of the mentioned policy operated with a set of laws that sought to reduce the overall rate of deaths that are associated with prescription overdose. As mentioned throughout the literature completed above, various legislations have been put in place prior to the enactment of the mentioned policy with the aim of curbing prescription overdose and the resulting mortality rate. This section highlights the basics of the implementation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in the state outlining the motivation as well as the parties behind the implementation of such a program. The primary role for the creation of the program in the context revolved around the desire to come up with a way of controlling and reducing the overall death rates that arise from the continued cases of prescription drugs overdose amongst the various patients in the population. In this case, the program ought to not only gather information about the mortality rates but also to form a foundation that offered a set of practices that the various stakeholders would FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 12 implement with the aim of reducing the overall impacts witnessed in the state. It is important to note that the policy or program not rejected and its implementation resulted in the overall reduction in the death rates witnessed as a result of increased prescription overdose cases. The primary supports of the program include government agencies. The primary aim of the creation and implementation of the plan came from the desire to control the overall rate of death as a result of increased drug overdose amongst the population. The government launched the program in 2010 and started using it to gather information in 2012. Beneficiaries or outcomes Implementing the bill must be supported by a set of beneficial aspects that it will bring to the general public and the community as a whole. The implementation of the mentioned policy into a bill will benefit a wide range of people from the population. For instance, the implementation of the bill will offer an excellent opportunity for the practitioners to report cases of overdose exhibited by the associated patients. However, the law will benefit the patients or the general population as a whole. For example, most patients fall victims of drug overdose due to the lack of the required level of knowledge and information. The program seeks to offer the most effective level of knowledge and skills to the general public that would increase the overall ability of the affected parties to make informed decisions about the drugs that they may be prescribed to or intend to purchase. On the other hand, the policy will benefit the pharmacies since they in most cases offer drugs that are used by the associated patients. On the other hand, this policy will bring about a positive impact on the community by providing the society the required education and sensitization information that would, in turn, help the population to understand the drugs that may bring about addiction and hence overdose. FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 13 Furthermore, implementing the policy will play a critical part in reducing the witnessed cases of deaths as a result of an overdose. In most cases, the increase in the overdose cases and eventually death comes from the lack of knowledge about the issues at hand. Therefore, the policy will benefit not only the government but also the entire community as a while. From another perspective, the implementation of the policy will help the healthcare sector in various ways. For instance, the policy will allow the healthcare organizations such as hospitals to determine the drugs that bring about overdose amongst the populations with the aim of the creation of effective practices that are meant to reduce the cases of overdose and eventually, death within the populations. Further, the legislation will allow hospitals to create a list of drugs that pose a risk to the general public as well as the entire population especially, schools and but not limited to the workplaces. Financial impacts Considering the impacts of the policy, it follows that the implementation of the entire bill will cost the country a total of $3.3 billion. However, legislators argue that an allocated amount of money is not sufficient to support the implementation of the bill since it includes dealing with a wide range of services and conditions. In this case, the country and the state will need to allocate more finances to support the ultimate plans and the successful implementation of the policy. He budget is distributed to meet the needs of the population from various areas such as through the empowerment of the CDC among other agencies that understand the implications of issues to the population. The implementation of the bill may not affect the country`s budget by a huge margin making it efficient. FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 14 Support systems Various agencies are trying to support the implementation of the bill. Some of the agencies and parties act as the ultimate sponsors that will help Florida to implement the bill in support for the underlying issues successfully. In this case, the most common sponsors and parties supporting the bill include the health quality subcommittee, the health and human services committee and but not limited to Rommel (Florida Senate, n.d.). These parties act as the ultimate sponsors that want to see the state successfully implement the bill. These agencies offer money and the other types of assistance such as lobby support in the attempt to allow the state to implement the policy successfully. It is important to note that as sponsors, these agencies have a say and vote in various other areas revolving around the healthcare sector. These agencies play a huge role in gathering support from the relevant parties such as the lobbyists who in turn improve the level of access to the required resources and finances to assist the state to pass the bill successfully. Statistics CDC among other agencies offers an insight into the statistics associated with the total deaths that arise as a result of the prevalence of drug overdoses in Florida and also across the entire country. According to the Florida Health governmental website, the state-based prescription drug monitoring program found a total of 264498282 records reported concerning the issue of controlled substance dispensing (Florida Health, n.d.). The website also shows information about the top 10 controlled substances that may include but not limited to Alprazolam as the first and Temazepam as he tenth respectively. On the other hand, the CDC reported a total of 70237 deaths related to the issues of a drug overdose in the country in 2017 alone (CDC, n.d.). The state that recorded the highest rate in the country concerning drug FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 15 overdose includes West Virginia followed by Ohio. CDC continues to say that Florida recorded a total of 2175 cases of an unintentional drug overdose (Florida Health, n.d.). From another perspective, The Guardian reported a total of over 72000 deaths arising from an accidental drug overdose in the country (Durkin, 2018). These figures show that drug overdose remains a significant problem that requires the interventions of the various agencies and legal approaches, especially, in Florida. Nurse practitioner role The paper from the initial part described the basics of the policy. This part highlights the importance or the significance of the policy to the NPs and nurses in the state and also the entire country in general. Understanding the basics of the policy, in this case, will play a huge role for the nurses and NPs to initiate a campaign that seeks to sensitize the general public on the drugs that may pose a danger or risks to their health based on the gathered data. On the other hand, it is essential for the nurses to offer their collective voice on the issue based on the fact that they form the ultimate link between the general population and the healthcare providers as well as organizations. From another perspective, involving the nurse in the implementation phases of the bill ad policy will play a considerable part in equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle the associated and underlying issues concerning the concepts of drug overdoses. Further, nurses influence the entire process in a huge way. For instance, it is the role of the nurse to offer the required education to the general public concerning the issues affecting them from a health perspective. On the other hand, the nurses form the ultimate connection between the healthcare providers and services and the patients. Eliminating the nurses from the process may create a gap that makes it hard for the patients to get the basics of the principle. However, the nurses need to understand the primary issues of concern that the policy dictates FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 16 before embarking on the education or support activities for its passing and eventually implementation. Understanding the basic principles of the policy may offer the nurses a good opportunity to understand the most effective ways of approaching the education programs and services they may initiate regarding sensitizing the general public. Conclusion Summing up, the paper addressed the issues regarding the drug overdoses bill in Florida. This paper outlined the potential impacts the implementation of the bill may bring to the state, the nurses, the general public, the community and the government from various perspectives. Addressing the basics of the policy forms the foundation for a prosperous future that is based on minimal to no deaths arising from the increased cases of prescription drug overdoses. FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 17 References Florida Health. (n.d.). Florida Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance (FL-ESOOS) Program. Florida Health. Retrieved 25 February 2019. From http://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-and-data/fl-esoos/index.html CDC. (n.d.). Drug Overdose Deaths. CDC. Retrieved 25 February 2019. From https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html Florida Health. (n.d.). E-FORCSE®, the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Florida Health. Retrieved 25 February 2019. From http://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-anddata/e-forcse/news-reports/index.html Durkin, E. (2018). US drug overdose deaths rose to record 72,000 last year, data reveals. The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2019. From https://www.theguardian.com/usnews/2018/aug/16/us-drug-overdose-deaths-opioids-fentanyl-cdc Florida Senate. (n.d.). House of Representatives Staff Analysis. BILL #: CS/CS/HB 249 Drug Overdoses. Florida Senate. Retrieved 25 February 2019. From https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2017/249/Analyses/h0249c.HHS.PDF NCSL. (n.d.). PREVENTION OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG OVERDOSE AND ABUSE. NCSL. Retrieved 25 February 2019. From http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/prevention-ofprescription-drug-overdose-and-abuse.aspx Darke, S., & Hall, W. (2003). Heroin overdose: research and evidence-based intervention. Journal of urban health, 80(2), 189-200. FLORIDA HEALTH LAW ISSUE 18 Kennedy-Hendricks, A., Richey, M., McGinty, E. E., Stuart, E. A., Barry, C. L., & Webster, D. W. (2016). Opioid overdose deaths and Florida’s crackdown on pill mills. American journal of public health, 106(2), 291-297. Rutkow, L., Chang, H. Y., Daubresse, M., Webster, D. W., Stuart, E. A., & Alexander, G. C. (2015). Effect of Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program and pill mill laws on opioid prescribing and use. JAMA internal medicine, 175(10), 1642-1649. Surratt, H. L., O'grady, C., Kurtz, S. P., Stivers, Y., Cicero, T. J., Dart, R. C., & Chen, M. (2014). Reductions in prescription opioid diversion following recent legislative interventions in Florida. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 23(3), 314-320. Paulozzi, L. J., Strickler, G. K., Kreiner, P. W., & Koris, C. M. (2015). Controlled substance prescribing patterns—prescription behavior surveillance system, eight states, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Surveillance Summaries, 64(9), 1-14.
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